Cessna 210A N9421X

Summary

On 18 April 2014 at about 19:45 local time, a Cessna 210A registered N9421X, operated by Arkansas Pilots FOR Christ Inc, was involved in an accident near Searcy, Arkansas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 April 2014 at 19:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Searcy, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

35.1783, -91.7464

Aircraft

Cessna 210A

Registration

N9421X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1961

Engines

1

Operator

Arkansas Pilots FOR Christ Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cabot → Searcy

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA204

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane, which resulted in oil starvation and a subsequent engine failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, shortly after departure, he and the pilot-rated passenger detected smoke in the cockpit. The pilot turned off the avionics and began flying toward the closest airport. While en route to the airport, the engine experienced a partial loss of power and then seized. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a field. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed damage to the engine's crankcase. Examination of the engine revealed signatures consistent with oil starvation of the engine components, which resulted in the failure of the No. 5 connecting rod. Only residual oil was found at the accident site and within the engine, and only a small amount of oil sheen was discovered on the airplane surfaces. An annual inspection had recently been completed on the airplane, and a review of the engine logbook revealed no entries related to the engine's oil system. Although the pilots reported no anomalies during the preflight inspection, the evidence is consistent with a lack of engine oil before the flight, which could have been discovered during a thorough preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.